I want more post parade coverage, too. I guess ESPN figures that to the average viewer, one horse looks pretty much like another. Which they kind of do, to the average viewer. I thought it would be cool if, during the post parade, one of their commentators would offer opinions on how the horse looks-- ready to race, tired, whatever. Something so the average viewer can form an opinion (no matter how misguided, tee hee). I don't know squat about ice-skating, but by the end of the Olympic programs I'm very opinionated on how the skaters are doing. A casual fan should be able to tune in and pick a horse to root for.
I really liked the little magazine-esque segments. And overall I liked how all the summer coverage was billed as leading up to the Breeders' Cup-- I thought that was smart. If I were them, I'd do a short handicapping segment in each program-- pace factor, class factor, trifectas, pick-3s, boxing, whatever. Make it short, funny, and informative. Something so people would tune into each program to catch the next segment, and again, so the casual fan would feel like he or she had a bit of a handle on the game by the time the BC came around.
And maybe pair it with other handicapping "strategies"-- the "name" strategy, the "dartboard" strategy, the "birthdate" strategy. Things to make it fun. Heck, I'd shoot the "alternative strategies" segments for them...
